Jon Rahm reveals madcap karaoke mission with fellow LIV Golf star
Spanish hero tells all about his bizarre trip to Hong Kong Island singing suite as he hunts a trip to Broadway with Europe
Reluctant singer Jon Rahm has revealed a bizarre Hong Kong karaoke-hunt as he aims to get back in tune with his European pals at The Ryder Cup.
The Spanish hero is currently playing in Chicago as his LIV Tour draws to a close for the campaign and he hunts the right form to make Bethpage.
Rahm has yet to win individually on the circuit this term, but his Legion XIII squad are in a good position to deliver on the team front with he and Euro sidekick Tyrrell Hatton leading the way.
The two-time Major winner and the English star took kids Tom McKibbin and Caleb Surratt out in Asia earlier this term as part of their squad bonding.
And he smiled: “My favourite part of this year, having arrived early in Hong Kong and having plenty of time until Friday after a team dinner, for some reason, I don’t know if it was me or Tyrrell, I think it might have been me, who had the brilliant idea of let’s go find a karaoke bar.
“Finding myself and Tyrrell in this building in Hong Kong Island, not that we were ever in danger, but somehow I ended up on the roof looking for this place.
"At some point we ended up in the basement finding a different place. Caleb hasn’t traveled that much, hasn’t seen that much worldwide.
"Him telling the story of we were in the sketchiest part of the city. We were not. We were in a very nice part of Hong Kong Island, never in danger.
“We ended up finding a very nice place. It was a lot of fun. Jet lag hours, your brain and your body are obviously operating in different places and you’re awake at weird times, so it was in a weird way a very fun night with the team, unexpected because not that it was the plan.
“But recalling that story the next morning from Caleb’s eyes thinking that we were, I wouldn’t know how to explain it, but if he were to tell you the story, you would have thought we were on skid row. We were not. It was a little bit of a fun night early on in the year.
“I’m a terrible singer. I’ve said many times if I could trade a lot of my golfing talent for singing, I would, but not everybody has the bravery to stand up and sing. Most of us did. I guess after a while you get comfortable enough. But not in public. No chance. We had our own little room. That was the first time I ever went to one.”
Rahm wants to be with Hatton in New York as part of Luke Donald’s European team to face the United States and he is battling for a pick with automatic qualification now out of the window.
He said: “There’s nothing I can confirm nor deny. But I think he [Donald] has been texting me like he has been texting quite a few other players that are on that list of the possibility of getting picked.
“Luke is extremely dedicated and very well-organised as a captain. There’s six automatic and then six picks, right, so there’s probably about at least 10 names on top of those guys who are qualified that he’s probably constantly texting.
“I don’t think he’s actually told anybody they’re in yet because it’s too early. He’s probably waiting until the end of August through the playoffs and our events to maybe start making statements like that. In my case, I think I’m just one more of those many names.”